ProjectSpurs:¬† McDyess to participate in Houston Pro-Am - Before the NBA lockout became official, San Antonio Spurs' Antonio McDyess and his agent made an agreement with the team that he would make his retirement decision until a new Collective Bargaining Agreement was in place.¬† Even though McDyess said he would retire this past season and even reiterated his decision after the Spurs' game six playoff loss to the Memphis Grizzlies, it would seem McDyess is trying to keep father time at bay and is looking for some run on the court during this summer.¬† According to Carla Peay of the Washington Post, McDyess is to participate in a summer Pro-Am league along with other NBA players.¬†¬† READ MORE

Kawhi and his tweaked mechanics should result in a more accurate shot - Kawhi Leonard entered the NBA Draft with some of the most freakish athletic attributes of any of the potential draftees.¬† Leonard is a physical marvel whose wingspan of 87 ¬ĺ inches is larger than Los Angeles Lakers center Andrew Bynum, who is more than five inches taller than the Spurs No. 1 draft pick. And Leonard‚Äôs hands are 11 ¬Ĺ inches wide, which is the size of Shaquille O‚ÄôNeal‚Äôs hand.¬† But Leonard has gone to the laboratory for ESPN‚Äôs Sports Science to work on his shooting mechanics by tweaking his trajectory with a change he hopes will result in a better shooting percentage once he starts playing with the Spurs.¬†¬† READ MORE

Rockets pick up team option on Dragic - Houston Rockets General Manager Daryl Morey announced today that the club has picked up the team option on the contract of guard Goran Dragic.¬† Dragic (6-3, 190, Slovenia), who was acquired by Houston from Phoenix on Feb. 24, 2011, averaged 7.7 points, 2.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists in 22 games (three starts) with the Rockets. In his three starts with Houston, Dragic averaged 13.3 points, 10.3 rebounds, 8.3 assists and 1.67 steals.¬†¬† READ MORE

Former UNLV star, NBA player Gilliam dies at 47 - Armen Gilliam, who was part of the UNLV Runnin' Rebels basketball team that made a run to the Final Four in 1987 and played for several NBA teams, has died. He was 47.¬† The Allegheny County Medical Examiner's Office said Wednesday that Gilliam died Tuesday night at the LA Fitness gym in Bridgeville while he was playing basketball.¬† The office said the cause of death has not yet been determined pending an autopsy which is likely to be completed later Wednesday.¬† After college, the Phoenix Suns drafted Gilliam as the No. 2 overall pick in the first round of the draft. Besides the Suns, Gilliam also played with the then-Charlotte Hornets, Philadelphia 76ers, New Jersey Nets, Milwaukee Bucks and Utah Jazz. He retired in 2000.¬†¬† READ MORE

No new bracelet, but Mavericks forward Shawn Marion has solid showing at World Series of Poker - Shawn Marion may have earned some sought-after jewelry last month when he and the Mavericks won the NBA title, but he recently set off to Las Vegas on a quest for some more prestigious bling -- a World Series of Poker bracelet.¬† And while the Mavericks forward ultimately came up short in his goal of winning the no-limit holdem tournament and the gold and diamond encrusted bracelet that comes with it, he did have a very solid showing.¬†¬† READ MORE

Dallas Mavericks Must Let Most Of Their Free Agents Go After NBA Lockout Ends - The reigning NBA champion Dallas Mavericks will have several key free agents to deal with once the NBA lockout ends: Tyson Chandler, J.J. Barea, Caron Butler and DeShawn Stevenson. This is why they should let almost all of them go elsewhere.¬† Jul 6, 2011 - When you win a championship in professional sports, there's a tendency to want to keep the entire band together to go at it again. Fans develop an emotional attachment to players beyond what they normally have. Coaches want stability so they can use the same kind of tactics they used to win it all. Players want to go to battle with peers they trust. Ownership is often naturally conservative and doesn't want change.¬†¬† READ MORE

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Five-run sixth all Astros, Norris need - The lengthy team meeting Astros manager Brad Mills called prior to Wednesday's game was done with a purpose. Mills stressed to his players they needed to play with more energy and passion, all the while doing the little things on the field that can produce wins.¬† Several players took the opportunity to stand in the middle of the clubhouse and challenge each other to play better and work harder in a season during which things couldn't be going much worse.¬† Those who weren't sure of the meeting's effectiveness following the Astros' 8-2 win over the Pirates at PNC Park -- a game played about as crisply as the Astros could have imagined -- should have no doubts after hearing the post-game comments of shortstop Clint Barmes.¬†¬† READ MORE

Quintero off DL, to join team in Florida - The Astros activated catcher Humberto Quintero from the 15-day disabled list following Wednesday's game, optioning catcher J.R. Towles back to Triple-A Oklahoma City. Quintero had been on the disabled list since May 28 with a sprain of his right ankle.¬† Quintero was only four games into his scheduled eight-game rehab stint when the Astros decided they needed his services. He was hitting .248 with nine RBIs in 32 games before being injured, but his strong arm and his work with the pitching staff are valuable assets.¬† "He feels good, he did a good job and he'll join us [Friday] in Florida," Astros manager Brad Mills said.¬†¬† READ MORE

Sizzling Michael Young sparks offense - Michael Young feels he can be productive if his approach is dictated by the situation in the game.¬† Whatever approach Young took during the Rangers' three-game sweep against the Baltimore Orioles worked almost to perfection.¬† Young had a ridiculous series against the Orioles, putting up his third straight three-hit game in the 13-5 victory Wednesday at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington.¬† ‚ÄúHe certainly swung the bat,‚ÄĚ Rangers manager Ron Washington said. ‚ÄúHe did whatever we needed him to do when we needed him to do it. I don‚Äôt think it‚Äôs nothing anyone in Texas hasn‚Äôt seen Michael do before.‚ÄĚ¬†¬† READ MORE

Rangers' offensive boom, Ogando wallop Orioles 13-5 - The Texas Rangers don't want the Baltimore Orioles to leave town.¬† Why would they after the three-day drubbing the Rangers handed the Orioles, capped by Wednesday's 13-5 victory.¬† The victory gave Texas its first three-game sweep in more than a month. Those are the kinds of things that are going to happen when your offense collects 30 runs and 47 hits, which it did in the three games against Baltimore.¬† Wednesday's 19 hits were overkill with right-hander Alexi Ogando on the mound, but no one is complaining.¬†¬† READ MORE

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WR Roy Williams Sues to Get Back Engagement Ring - Cowboys receiver Roy Williams sent his girlfriend, former Miss Texas Brooke Daniels a surprise a recorded marriage proposal with a $76,600 engagement ring through the mail just before Valentine‚Äôs Day.¬† When Daniels declined the proposal, she did not return the ring. Now Williams has filed a lawsuit Thursday to get it back according to Jon Vanderlaan of the Odessa American.¬† Williams has declined to comment for the story, but in an affidavit signed by Williams, he claims he sent $5,000 for school and dental bills, a baseball for Daniels‚Äô brother and ‚ÄĒ as a surprise ‚ÄĒ a recorded marriage proposal with the ring through the mail just before Valentine‚Äôs Day to Daniels. However, when Daniels declined the proposal, she did not return the ring.¬†¬† READ MORE

Cowboys 2nd Round Pick LB Bruce Carter Says He's "Ready To Go" - Cowboys second-round pick Bruce Carter told Galloway and Company on KESN-FM 103.3 that his surgically-repaired left knee is doing well, via the Dallas Morning News.¬† "The knee‚Äôs doing well," Carter said¬† "I‚Äôd probably say to myself that I‚Äôm about 85 percent. I will say that I am full speed, I‚Äôve been cutting, it‚Äôs just kind of more like a mental thing more than it is physical. Just trying to get my feeling back and I feel pretty good about it. I‚Äôm ready to go.¬†¬† READ MORE

Expectations remain high for Cushing - For one season, Brian Cushing was pretty close to the best defensive player the Texans have ever had.¬† He was instinctive about being in the right place at the right time, and when he wasn't making plays for himself he was making them for others. His name could be found all over the NFL leader board.¬† If you think we've seen the last of that Cushing ‚ÄĒ and after last season's decline, that's a fair assessment ‚ÄĒ Gary Kubiak and Wade Phillips would like to respectfully disagree.¬† "I think he'll be a great player," Kubiak said.¬† I looked up when he used the word "great." He could have said "pretty good" or "better than last season." There are a lot of words he could have used to predict what Cushing will be in 2011.¬† He chose "great." Even after watching Cushing have a really tough second NFL season, he still believes.¬† "I think he'll be gangbusters," Kubiak said.¬†¬† READ MORE

Texans to Make a Big Push for All-Pro CB Nnamdi Asomugha - The Texans indeed are prepared to be aggressive in free agency, according to league sources, and will be among the teams pursuing All-Pro cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha. While awaiting a collective bargaining agreement and new free-agency rules, it‚Äôs very difficult to gauge the market and how high the price for a top cornerback will go, but look for the Texans to closely monitor that market and determine if the price point on Asomugha fits their budget.¬†¬† READ MORE

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Stars release pre-season schedule - The Dallas Stars announced today that the club will play a total of seven pre-season contests in 2011, including three at American Airlines Center in Dallas.¬† Dallas will begin Training Camp in Prince Edward Island (P.E.I.), Canada, for the second consecutive year on Friday, Sept. 16. The Stars' first pre-season game will coincide with the team's trip back to Texas, playing at Montreal on Tuesday, Sept. 20.¬† The Stars begin the home portion of their pre-season schedule hosting the Colorado Avalanche on Thursday, Sept. 22. The Stars will also host the St. Louis Blues on Saturday, Sept. 24 and the Florida Panthers on Thursday, Sept. 29.¬† The Stars' regular season schedule, along with the remainder of the league's 2011-12 campaign, was released in mid-June and can be found at DallasStars.com. Further information about the Stars' 2011 Training Camp at P.E.I. is still pending and will be announced at a later date.¬†¬† READ MORE

Wednesday development camp notes - A few notes from Wednesday‚Äôs sessions of Dallas Stars development camp in McKinney.¬† *Stars prospect Jamie Oleksiak wouldn‚Äôt comment on The Hockey News report that he‚Äôs decided to try out for Canada‚Äôs World Junior team instead of Team USA.¬† "As of now, we are going no comment. It's definitely a tough decision,‚ÄĚ Oleksiak said. ‚ÄúAs of now we're still debating what's going to happen over the summer."¬† Oleksiak, who has dual citizenship, is currently on the evaluation camp roster Team USA. He played for the USA at the 2009 Memorial of Ivan Hlinka tournament. But he‚Äôs never played in an International Ice Hockey Federation tournament and once he picks a country to play for in an IIHF event, then he is locked into playing for that country internationally for life.¬†¬† READ MORE